This caricature is of Harry Taft when he was performing at the Grand Theatre of Varieties, Hanley, during the week of 26 September 1904. He was billed as ‘America’s Greatest Whistling Comedian’ and was on the bill with Sam Mayo, whom Cooke also drew that week. This is one of the many superb caricatures of Edwardian music hall performers that were drawn by the artist George Cooke when he was based at the Grand Theatre. He compiled them in a series of albums.

Taft made his name as a whistler, and inscribed this caricature ‘Yours whistling, Harry Taft’. There were several other whistlers on the variety stage at the time, including Arthur Slater, ‘The Whistling Man in White’, and Tom Murray, ‘The Champion Whistler’. Harry Taft whistled solo, and to piano accompaniment. In 1899 his ‘Listen To The Mocking Bird’ was recorded by Emile Berliner, the American who developed the gramophone. In April 1906 The Performer magazine recorded ‘Mr Harry Taft, the well-know whistler’ sailing to America. Taft shared the bill with Little Tich on an Australian tour in 1905. He was then billed as a comedian, as he was by George Cooke in his list of subjects.